Poland and Poles as seen by Ukrainians
The survey has revealed enormously positive attitudes towards the Poles as well as strong ties with Poland and the attractiveness of Poland in the eyes of Ukrainian respondents.
Poland’s assistance to Ukraine and Poles’ solidarity with Ukrainians, widely reported by the Ukrainian media, coupled with Ukrainians’ impressions of their stay in Poland, shared with family members or friends, could not have stayed without resonance, impacting attitudes towards Poland and Poles. But what was the impact specifically? In order to find out, an all-Ukrainian opinion poll was conducted by Info Sapiens, a Ukrainian research provider, and the Mieroszewski Centre, a Polish public institution operating under an act of law adopted by the Polish Parliament, with a mission to engage in and support the dialogue between Poles and Ukrainians as well as other Eastern European nations.
As expected, the survey brought highly positive responses, especially when viewed from the perspective of the possibilities and opportunities for Polish-Ukrainian relations in the future.
Above all, the survey confirmed the overwhelmingly positive attitudes towards Poland and the Poles in Ukraine, exceeding 80%, paralleled with a negligible level of dislike (at less than 1%). These figures can be contrasted with attitudes towards the Germans, who are liked by only 42% of Ukrainians and arouse a sense of dislike in 4%. Attitudes towards the Russians as a nation are the opposite to those towards the Poles, with 86% of Ukrainian respondents disliking the Russians and just under 2% liking them.
